Unless you’re living under a rock (or without Internet, in which case… how did you get here, exactly?) you’ve already heard the news—Amazon announced that they’ll soon be releasing the Kindle Fire, sort of a Kindle/iPad lovechild. Certainly if you don’t have a tablet, for $199 the Fire is pretty appealing as a little-of-each device. (Note: They are accepting pre-orders for a November 15th release date, but the media is already projecting they may not be able to keep up with demand. Consider pre-ordering if you’re wanting one of these as a holiday gift.)
On the other hand, for those of us who’ve just been pining for a regular Kindle, the news gets even better—now the 6″ Kindles have dropped in price, and if you just want a great reader, they start at $79. Now, when the first came out with the Special Offers Kindle (a lower-price device that displays ads), I heard a lot of folks kind of pooh-pooh the notion, saying they’d rather pay a little bit more to avoid being spammed. But I have a couple of friends with this version and some of the coupons they’ve gotten have been incredible. I’m seriously considering the Special Offers version just because I want the deals.
And now, the $64,000 question: Will we see any Kindle deals during the pre-holiday Lightning Deals at Amazon? I think we will; the cheapest Kindles will for sure be offered at a special rate at least once before Christmas. But if you remember what happened last year, the Kindle deal went up and sold out almost immediately. Again, if you have your heart set on one, don’t count on a deal like that, because it’ll be hard to snag. (But, uh, if you end up with two Kindles, remember who your favorite deal blogger is. Heh.)
this is very exciting to me, since i’ve been eyeing the nook color for a little while now, but didn’t want to lose access to my kindle books (even tho nook color now has a kindle app, which just seems dirty to me 🙂 ). i’m a little sad, tho — in the recent kindle updates, there’s been no mention of “whispernet,” the cost-free internet connection that allowed you to download books anytime, anywhere. i’m just seeing wi-fi or a 3G subscription as options. that alone might be the reason for me to stick to my now incredibly archaic 2G kindle…
from amazon:
“…Top-of-the-line e-reader, with touch and free 3G wireless
Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts or monthly fees. Learn more
Download books anywhere, no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
3G wireless works globally…”
isn’t this the same as whispernet?
Yes, they all have Whispernet, don’t worry!
I need the Kindle Fire. Really, I think I do.
I thought about the whole black Friday possibilities, but decided not to chance it. Pre-ordered my Fire last night! This is my Xmas gift, so I’m going to have to hide if from the small person so she thinks it’s a new toy for mommy on Xmas morning!
Strangly enough I was considering a Kindle vs Nook earlier this week. Then Wednesday they dropped the price on the Kindle and made it a touch screen. Done. My decision is made.
Thanks Mir!
Tell us more about the coupons your friends got with the kindle w/ ads!
Lou, what interests me is that there’ve apparently been a number of half-off coupons for specific things, like a given grocery brand or women’s flats or whatever. The coupons seem to be pretty much paying for the Kindle and then some, if you’re a pretty regular and liberal Amazon shopper. I’m still mulling over getting one, so I can tell you more if I do!
see, this is why i need to read. i thought i’d poked around enough looking for that info, but clearly not. that’s a relief to hear… and also a dilemma. maybe i’ll be asking for a fire for Christmas. 😀
i’m baaaack. 🙂 just wanted to let you all know that i’ve been doing some research and everything that i’m reading review-wise for the fire says that whispernet (now whispersync, i believe) will only work when a wi-fi connection is available, which is how amazon is keeping the price down. the 3G models, such as the kindle touch, will have whispernet (because it’ll use the 3G network), but the wi-fi models (like the new $80 kindle 3) will only be able to use whispernet when you have wi-fi connectivity. clear as mud? 🙂 here’s where i found the info: http://mashable.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-fire-first-impressions/ .
I love my Kindle! My library (WI) has some Kindle formats, so rejoice!! Plus, the Kindle Aps are great for laptops or phones. Keep us posted on any Kindle deals!
Hi Mir, just FYI, I saw this online article about the pre-packaged Kindle Fire browser called “Silk” and wanted to share it with you. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/amazons-kindle-fire-silk-browser-has-serious-security-concerns/1516
Basically it is security-related-food-for-thought.
Personally, if I get a Fire I will disable Silk’s cloud-enhanced mode and stick to normal off-cloud browsing for security reasons.
I was all hot for the Kindle Fire until I learned it had no 3G and was WiFi only. Yuck!! I’ll wait for the 3G model and for them to work out any/all *kinks*